


Goodbye Karasuno

by thebetterstarwing



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Noya is big sad, kiyoko and tanaka aren't the main pairing but their relationship is important to this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25575862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebetterstarwing/pseuds/thebetterstarwing
Summary: Just an angsty lil fic about why Noya left Japan after graduation.
Kudos: 3





	Goodbye Karasuno

“We are now landing in Rome, Italy. Again, I repeat, we are now landing in Rome, Italy.” 

The announcement woke Noya up. He sat up straight, looking around, trying to figure out where he was. Then he remembered. He put on his backpack and left the plane, ignoring the continuous buzzing from his phone in his pocket. 

He couldn’t believe he did this. If the person he was one year ago, or two or three, saw where he was now, he would be angry. But Noya changed since then. And so had everyone else.

Since he only brought a backpack, there was no need to wait for any luggage. He left the airport and set off into the city. First thing he needed to do was find a hotel. 

Surprisingly, finding a hotel wasn’t that hard to do. He just walked into a place, used his translate app to help him tell the guy at the front desk that he wanted 1 bed, and handed over his credit card. It was a good thing that he didn’t bring any luggage other than a backpack, since his room was on the fourth floor and there was no elevator. Once he got into his room, he figured he should at least text Asahi that he arrived safely. He pulled out his phone to see a torrent of messages. 

From Tanaka:  
I can’t believe you actually did this!

From Asahi:   
Hey remember to chew gum when the plane takes off so your ears don’t hurt. And make sure to get some rest, ok?   
Landed yet?

From Hinata:   
Whaaaa you really left the country? You have to keep me updated on everywhere you go! Take me with you sometime pls!

Noya texted Asahi that he landed safely, then texted his parents that he would call them later. He then passed out on the bed, exhausted from traveling. 

No one knew how conflicted he was when he made this decision. They didn’t know the process, the deliberating, the inner turmoil he felt. All they knew was he was in Japan one minute, and over the ocean the next, as if he ran away from his problems. But Noya wasn’t running away. He always just lived for himself, and for now, that meant starting over in a new country. 

The person he was a year or two ago would never have just left to go to another country. But that person could have never predicted how absolutely awful he felt, stuck with volleyball, stuck in Japan, stuck with the same people who would never feel about him the way he did about them. 

It all started in third year. Tanaka and Noya were having a grand old time being senpais of the volleyball team. There were no third years to tell them what to do. They were their own bosses, being the best senpais they could to the first and second years. Leading the team with Tanaka made Noya realize something.

He was in love with Tanaka. How long had he felt this way? 

He always thought he was in love with Kiyoko. After all, he and Tanaka were Kiyoko’s biggest fans. But this year, with Kiyoko gone, he realized maybe he’d loved Tanaka that whole time. He loved the way Tanaka cheered when they won a point, and his resolve to do better when he lost. He loved how positive he was, especially around their underclassmen. He loved his resolve to get Kiyoko to acknowledge him, even if the efforts were futile. And Tanaka had a fantastic smile and the most caring personality. Did Tanaka feel this way about Noya? 

_Tonight,_ Noya decided. _I will tell him tonight after practice._

“HEY NOYA!” Tanaka’s loud voice announced his presence in the gym. “I have something to tell you after the practice!” 

“What is it?” Noya grinned. 

“You have to wait! But you’re not going to believe it!” 

“Bet!” I have something to tell you too!” 

This is it, Noya thought after the other team members left. He and Tanaka said they’d close the gym that night and were now the only ones there. Now or never. 

“Tell me your news!” Noya exclaimed. 

“You first!” 

“Okay.” Noya took a deep breath. “I like you, Ryunosuke Tanaka. I’ve liked you for a long time and this past year on the team made me realize just how much I like you. I’m not sure if you feel the same about me, but I just couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.” 

Tanaka’s face showed shock. 

“Noya, I didn’t realize you felt this way.” Tanaka seemed to be avoiding eye contact. “I, well, my news is that Kiyoko hit me up. She wants to go on a date with me.”

“Oh.” Noya had no words. “I’m happy for you both,” he managed to say. 

After that, neither of them knew what to say to each other. They walked home their own separate ways. That night, Noya lay in his bed, but he couldn’t sleep. He picked up his phone and texted the one person he knew would understand him. 

Hey. I confessed

Asahi:   
How’d it go?

Noya:   
Not great. Can I call you? 

Noya told him all about what happened, and how conflicted he felt between being rejected and being happy for his best friend. 

“I don’t want to ruin what we have,” Noya’s voice quivered. “But I think I just did that.” 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Look, I know it’s not easy to confess to someone, especially when the response isn’t what you were hoping to hear. It’ll take time, but you’ll recover. You two will be back to your regular selves before you know it. I know you feel happy for Tanaka and Kiyoko. That shows your heart is in the right place.” 

“You’re right. It’ll take time, but I’ll get over it. It can’t get worse from here.” 

Noya tried his best to make things be the way they used to, but it didn’t feel the same. He suspected Tanaka felt so too. Outside of school, Tanaka was spending less time hanging out with Noya and the rest of the team. Noya knew that this is what happens when your friend gets a girlfriend, but it really hurt because Noya happened to still be in love with his friend. Seeing Tanaka and Kiyoko together made him realize something else, too. 

He still liked Kiyoko. 

True, for the past two years, he and Tanaka both liked her. Strangely enough, liking the same girl never tore the two apart, and instead brought them closer together. That was probably because Kiyoko was almost like a celebrity to them, someone you crush on knowing they will never like you back. But now that Noya was seeing her with Tanaka, he had to reconsider his feelings all over again. Instead of feeling better as time went on, he felt worse. How can he have a crush on two people at once? Especially when those two people were dating each other. Noya couldn’t stand himself. And though no one could tell, he was even starting to resent volleyball. His performance was as good as ever, but he felt like his heart was no longer in it. He was just going through the motions. 

One day at practice, Tanaka and Noya noticed a strange, official-looking man in the bleachers. After practice, he motioned to talk to the two of them. 

“Hello boys. I am a sports recruiter from Tokyo University. What are your plans for volleyball after you graduate?” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, Asahi, what was it like when you left the volleyball team? Like...how did you feel?” Noya was once again calling his favorite senpai.

“Noya, is everything okay?”

“I’m fine, I just…want to know.” 

“Alright, well, I felt like I let everyone down. You all know that part. I just felt like there was no reason for me to continue what I’d been doing. Like it was time to find something else.” 

“So what made you come back?” 

“Well, you all convinced me to. That, and I didn’t really want to stop playing. I still wanted to be the ace, even though I didn’t want to admit that to myself.” 

“I remember being mad at you because I thought you’d given up. But I think I understand now how you felt.” 

“You want to quit volleyball?” 

“Not right this second. I want to finish out the season. But remember last year when I told you I wanted to travel the world after graduation?” 

“Yeah” 

“I still do. Every day, I come up with new ideas for places I want to go and things I want to do. But now I got an offer to play volleyball in college. Full scholarship and everything. Tanaka got one too. We could be teammates.” 

“Noya, that’s amazing!” 

“We have a week to decide yes or no. And as much as I would like to say no, I feel like Tanaka would want me on his team. I’d play my favorite sport with my best friend and I’d get a college degree while I’m at it. I could even go pro. If I’m pro, I can travel around the world anyway, playing volleyball.” 

“It sounds like a wonderful opportunity. So what’s making you hesitate?” 

“Do I really want college to be just like this? And my professional life too? I know you told me it would take time, but I’m still not over Tanaka or Kiyoko. I don’t think I could go through this in college too. I really just want to get out of here, start over. But at the same time, I feel like I’d be wasting my potential. People are depending on me. You’re the only one that knows about my plans to travel the world.” 

“All I know is, I left the volleyball team because I felt like I’d be happier without it. I didn’t want to keep doing something that made me miserable. You should do what makes you happy. There’s no way you’ll be able to please everyone, right? So just make sure you’re happy with whatever decision you make.” 

“I’ll think about it Asahi. Thanks for the advice.” 

Noya hadn’t officially told anyone yet, but his decision was already made. Now he had to make another decision: how to tell Tanaka. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“YOU’RE LEAVING THE COUNTRY?” Noya tried to figure out if Tanaka was angry, or surprised, or both. 

“Yeah. I’ve been planning it for a while now and this past year has made me realize that I don’t want to continue with volleyball for the rest of my life. To tell you the truth, I’m still not over you. Or Kiyoko. I really need to start over somewhere new and follow my dreams.” 

“Look, Noya, I know this past year has been...different. But we shouldn’t let it drive us apart. We’ll be back to the way things were once college starts. I’m sure of it.” 

“Things haven’t gotten back to normal yet and it’s been a whole school year. I’m leaving, Tanaka, and nothing you say will change that. We’ll keep in touch, I promise.” 

Noya wanted to leave as soon as possible, so he bought a ticket for a plane scheduled to leave right after the graduation ceremony. He heard the whispers of both adults and students, talking about how he’d given up a wonderful opportunity, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care that he was missing the graduation parties and the final goodbyes to his teammates. All he knew was that he wanted to leave. There was no place left for him at Karasuno. 

As the plane went up into the air, Noya looked down at the country he was leaving behind. He’d grown up there, met his best friends, fell in love, played his favorite sport. He would get homesick sometimes, he was sure of it. Even still, he knew he’d made the right decision. As he watched the country grow smaller and smaller, he dozed off, dreaming of the new life he would make for himself.


End file.
